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Description
The AQUABREAK (Aquaculture Living Breakwater for Coastal Protection and Sea Decarbonization) project intends to develop a patented eco-friendly multi-purpose nature-based solution (NBS), combining offshore aquaculture and coastal protection, by promoting wave energy dissipation. The project aims to explore sustainable solutions to address two specific societal challenges: food security, by focusing on seaweed farming, for its numerous contributions to food production, and coastal erosion, enhanced by climate-related hazards, like increasing storm intensity. Such challenges are globally acknowledged and addressed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with SDG 2.4, SDG 13.1, and SDG 14.2.
The project involves the collaboration between two Portuguese entities, HAEDES and IHRH, and the Norwegian University of Stavanger. This collaboration will benefit from all entities expertise in the domain of numerical modelling (HAEDES), physical modelling (IHRH) and structural design (University of Stavanger). The project comprises the following main activities:
- Definition of the Aquabreak offshore system (AOS) testing framework, concerning the state-of-the-art multi-purpose offshore systems, focusing on aquaculture and coastal protection; the initial design and parameterization of six potential solutions and a risk analysis.
- AOS physical modelling testing, involving the setting up the physical model for four solutions; conducting the laboratory experiments and data processing.
- AOS numerical modelling optimization. It involves the preparation and implementation of the numerical model and data processing.
- Case study validation of the optimized AOS. It involves the application of numerical modeling for the chosen solution to two pilot cases, one in Portugal and one in Norway.
At the end of the project activity reports will be delivered for each work package, along with patent submission proof, data files, scientific publications and a workshop will be performed.